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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28019217">had you known them in proper time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambiguously/pseuds/ambiguously'>ambiguously</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canonical Character Death, Force Ghost Ben Solo, Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), M/M, Treat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:48:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28019217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambiguously/pseuds/ambiguously</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben's ghost is haunting Finn. Finn is not happy about this.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Finn/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Star Wars Rare Pairs 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>had you known them in proper time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/moreless/gifts">moreless</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Finn was almost asleep. He was drowsing, the events of the day folding in on one another along with the events in the holoprogram he and Rey had been watching together. Zorii's conversation with Rose about spanner grips merged with the program's conversation between Salina and Xo speculating about the identity of the other parent of Lidl's larval pods.</p><p>"You should watch better programs."</p><p>Finn groaned. He refused to open his eyes. "Go away," he said into his pillow.</p><p>"There's a documentary series about the science that went into making the clone troopers. That would be educational."</p><p>"Go haunt Rey," he said, not moving his face.</p><p>He wouldn't, of course. For whatever reason, Kylo karking Ren had come back to them as an intangible spirit, and despite that weird Force Dyad thing Rey tried to explain, the ghost was stuck to Finn's side like sticky tape. Tall, brooding, see-through sticky tape with opinions about Finn's choice in clothes, food, and viewing entertainment.</p><p>"I don't like it any more than you do."</p><p>Also, his creepy and dead ex-boss could read his mind.</p><p>"Obviously. Your thoughts are very loud."</p><p>Finn finally rolled over, staring at the incorporeal form resting next to him on the narrow bunk. "If I'd known this whole Force thing came with you as part of the package, I'd have said no."</p><p>"That's not how it works."</p><p>Finn groaned and rolled away from him. Maybe he could get to sleep if he ignored his unwanted house guest. He thought about Salina and Xo again, and how they'd talked about the shapes of the larvae. They looked like Pito.</p><p>"It's a distraction. Lidl's grandparent had those shapes."</p><p>"You don't know that."</p><p>"I used to watch this program. Lidl's grandparent looked exactly like the pods. The other parent won't be Pito. My guess is Ala."</p><p>"Ala's not even the same species."</p><p>"So?"</p><p>Finn groaned again and closed his eyes. This Force ghost thing was too weird for him.</p>
<hr/><p>Rey had set him to practicing with her lightsaber. Finn hadn't even known these things had practice settings. He tried to copy the movements she'd shown him before she was pulled away to help with another repair.</p><p>"You're holding it wrong."</p><p>"Will you just not?"</p><p>"Not what?"</p><p>"Be you. Go to your final rest already." Finn hated talking out loud to the ghost. People looked at him funny. Rey could see Kylo, but she had nothing left to say to him, or at least nothing she intended to say in front of Finn.</p><p>"That's...."</p><p>"Not how it works," Finn finished for him. Irritated, he went back into the first ready position.</p><p>"Still wrong."</p><p>Finn gave him a glare.</p><p>"I could show you."</p><p>Without further prompting, Kylo moved into the same position Rey had when she'd demonstrated. After a moment, Finn shifted his own feet and arms to match. Kylo counted off as he changed positions. Finn didn't want to follow along, but he did want to impress Rey with how well he was learning. He copied Kylo's movements. He might be see-through and annoying, but he had trained for years under Luke Skywalker.</p><p>"Yes, and I was very good at it."</p><p>Finn doused the lightsaber. "And we're done." He walked towards a knot of people. Kylo didn't talk to him as often when he was in company.</p>
<hr/><p>Kylo joined him at dinner, perching atop the table while Finn ignored him. "You should eat better."</p><p>There were others in the mess, but no one sitting with Finn. Poe and Rey were due back soon and Finn was holding the table. Talking to himself would get him Looks. He cast his eyes down and dug into his meal, a pasta and meat blend he liked.</p><p>"More vegetables would be good. Your body is your greatest weapon."</p><p>"Yeah, and someone signed off to feed me the worst-tasting vitamin rations in history when I worked for him, so you can shut the hell up." This earned him only one Look, and it was from Kaydel who had already picked up the gossip about his new pal. Her expression turned sympathetic before she went back to her conversation.</p><p>"The vitamin-infused rations were important for muscle growth and maintenance." The ghost made a face. "They did taste awful."</p><p>Finn took another bite of his dinner. "This is good." He saw the glimmer in Kylo's eyes and came to a conclusion. "You're jealous because you can't eat any more." He put a forkful into his mouth, chewing deliberately with a satisfied smile.</p><p>"I'm beyond such needs." He tried to sound austere and landed on pompous.</p><p>Finn thought hard how his food tasted divine, and watched the brief longing cross Kylo's face.</p><p>"My name is Ben now," said the ghost, and he affected to ignore Finn for the rest of the meal while Poe and Rey joined him, chatting about the day.</p>
<hr/><p>The First Order might be defeated but not everybody got the hologram. Finn's team had run into a nest of 'troopers and their officers on Flargon, and now they were pinned down. Finn wavered between trying to get through to the stormtroopers and bring them over to the cause, or pulling out the grenades.</p><p>"General?" He didn't know everyone on this team. Some had joined up after Exegol, which he privately considered pretty rich. What did they have left to resist against now?</p><p>More blaster fire peppered their area.</p><p>Fine, they had that. "Get the thermal detonators."</p><p>"We don't have them," said the luckless noncom whose name he still couldn't remember.</p><p>"There's another way around," said a too-familiar voice in his ear. "Go this way and you can flank them."</p><p>Finn didn't have time to argue, or explain. "This way," he ordered. And he thought very loudly Kylo better be right or the minute Finn died, he was going to become a Force ghost just so he could kick Kylo's dead ass every day for the rest of eternity.</p><p>Kylo laughed at him, but his suggestion worked. They flanked the 'troopers and stunned them. Some of the prisoners they'd taken had worked their way around to figuring out they were free now. Finn liked that better than killing them outright.</p><p>"Thanks," he said quietly. He hesitated for a moment. "Thanks, Ben."</p><p>"You're welcome."</p>
<hr/><p>It was after hours, and Finn was following Ben's movements as they stretched. For some reason, the simple Jedi robes Ben's ghost usually wore were gone, and he practiced bare-chested. Finn supposed dead people could look any way they wanted.</p><p>"I can. I used to practice this way. Less encumbrance." He nodded towards Finn's clothes.</p><p>With a mild huff, Finn pulled off his own shirt. "Better?"</p><p>"You tell me." They moved into mirroring postures, moving against one another. If Ben were corporeal, they could spar properly. He wasn't. He was only an echo, a memory. "I'm not, you know. I'm still myself."</p><p>"The you I knew was a raging jerk when he was alive."</p><p>"I'd like to think I got better."</p><p>"Rey says you got better five minutes before you keeled over. That doesn't count."</p><p>"I know." None of the words were real. They appeared inside Finn's head, with inflection and emotion attached. These were wistful, regretful, yet full of purpose. "Maybe that's why I'm haunting you now. I have more growth left to do."</p><p>"And I'm stuck with you using me as your pet project?"</p><p>"The Force moves in mysterious ways."</p><p>"That's Bantha spit."</p><p>"I agree, but my uncle used to say it all the time, especially when talking about how he met my parents."</p><p>Finn had heard the stories. He'd never grown up with a family, never had tales passed down from hand to hand, never had a legacy to break, or one to break him instead.</p><p>"Hey," said Finn. "That one wasn't my thought."</p><p>"Interesting. You're starting to pick up my thoughts as well."</p><p>"I don't want your dead thoughts inside my head."</p><p>"Mysterious ways," said Ben, and he moved into the next position. Even as a ghost, his muscles moved with strange grace.</p><p>Finn followed his motions and wondered where that thought came from.</p>
<hr/><p>Poe had called a meeting to go over their next plan. "We've received intel there's a First Order holdout here," he said, pointing to a spot on his holographic star chart. The spot lit up yellow. "We'll need to send in a small team to reconnoiter the base and see how many troops are there."</p><p>"One company," said Ben.</p><p>"You sure?" Finn asked, aware of the sudden stares.</p><p>Rey said, "There's one company stationed there." It was the first time she'd acknowledged anything Ben had said to Finn since the first day.</p><p>Poe looked between Finn and Rey. "Are you getting the intel I think you're getting?"</p><p>"What intel?" Zorii asked.</p><p>"Long story," Rey said.</p>
<hr/><p>Finn pressed the edges of his bactaplast down, scowling at the ghost. "Three companies," he said, not for the first time.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"Not one."</p><p>"Obviously they retreated to the base after the battle."</p><p>"Yeah. Obviously." His arm was going to be sore for a long time. The stinging was gone anyway. "Why did you tell us one?"</p><p>"It was one the last time I had a mission briefing. That's been a couple of months ago."</p><p>"You don't just know?" He still didn't understand how this ghost thing worked.</p><p>"No. I'm here with you, Finn. I'm not flitting around the galaxy gathering information." Finn lay back in his bunk, tired and sore. They hadn't lost anyone. That would have been much worse.</p><p>As he was nodding off, Ben said, "I'm sorry."</p><p>That was enough to wake Finn up again. "What?"</p><p>The ghost shifted uncomfortably. "I am sorry. For giving you bad information. For almost getting you killed."</p><p>Finn let out a laugh. He was in bed with Kylo kriffing Ren's ghost after a First Order attack, and the bantha's ass was sorry?</p><p>"Yes. I didn't want you to get injured."</p><p>"You've tried to kill me before. You remember that, right?"</p><p>Ben was silent for a long time. "I'm never going to be able to forget it. I can't forget anything now. Even the things I made myself forget when I was alive, I can remember with perfect clarity. Yes, I tried to kill you before. That's who I was then and I wasn't sorry about it. I'm sorry now."</p><p>Finn hadn't mattered to him then except as an annoyance and embarrassment. He mattered to Ben now.</p><p>Finn was aware these weren't his thoughts, either.</p><p>He frowned in the darkness. He could feel what passed for emotions from his permanent companion. Dead or not, echoes or not, these were strong, and as Finn opened his mind to them, not unfamiliar.</p><p>"I matter to you," he said, because those were the easiest words to put around what he'd sensed inside Ben's thoughts.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>Finn let out a sigh. Life had been complicated ever since that village on Jakku. It was sounding more and more like death wasn't any less complicated. How did any of this work?</p><p>"Mysterious ways," Ben said, lying next to him as he did every night.</p><p>Finn scooted over in his bunk, just a little. He couldn't feel Ben next to him, but with his eyes closed, he could sense him, strange as ever and worried about Finn and tangled inside with emotions he'd never learned to deal with when he'd been alive. He was there, ghost or not, and he would be at Finn's side forever. There were far worse fates. Finn was starting to like this one.</p><p>"Mysterious," Finn agreed, and fell asleep beside him.</p>
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